Asbestos fears at Shipbourne "inferno"

A "RAGING inferno" at a farm in Shipbourne at the weekend meant residents were advised to stay inside with doors and windows shut following fears of asbestos exposure.

The warning by firefighters was sparked after the hazardous material was found to be in the roof of a barn, containing 50 tonnes of straw and tyres, that caught fire at Tinley Lodge Farm on Saturday night.

Curtis Galbraith and Cilla Langdon-Down, who live next door to the farm off Hildenborough Road, spotted the blaze after returning from a night out at the nearby Chaser Inn and alerted the fire service, who remained at the scene for almost 39 hours.

"We returned from the pub on Saturday night at about 10.15pm when all seemed OK and 15 minutes later there was a raging inferno there," said Mr Galbraith. "We heard the crackling of it which was the roof being ignited and looked out and saw it."

His partner, Ms Langdon- Down, said they had heard what they thought were fireworks being let off very close to the house, later to find out the noise was the asbestos "popping" in the flames.

"We could see shards of asbestos falling into the burning straw," she said. "It was really close. Thank God we were in."

Mr Galbraith said firefighters had warned them to shut their doors and windows because of the burning material.

"Luckily it's the time of year when most of the windows are closed anyway," he added.

Jayne Foster-Powell, who also lives within a few hundred metres of the barn, said her daughter had heard "a lot of bangs and crackles".

"I said jokingly we are probably going to get asbestosis in 20 years time with all the smoke," she said.

Mrs Foster-Powell added she was concerned about children playing in the snow that fell the next day in the area because it "could be contaminated".

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service, which was called to the scene at 10.30pm on Saturday, said: "There was asbestos in the roof, as there is in many of these farm buildings.

"Crews obviously took the right precautions because of the asbestos in there."

Although fire crews had the blaze surrounded by 1.25am on Sunday, she said firefighters remained on the scene until 1.13pm on Monday to ensure the flames were distinguished.

"In effect a large quantity of bailed hay was being allowed to burn out in controlled conditions," she added.

Police attended the scene but the cause of the fire, which is not being treated as suspicious, is not yet known.